Labour Court recommends private-sector pay status for Moorepark Technologies staff

The Labour Court recommended that Moorepark Technologies Ltd (MTL) treat its employees as private-sector workers for pay and other non-pension matters, while retaining their public-sector status for pensions. The recommendation was signed on 23 February 2010. The Services Industrial Professional Technical Union (SIPTU) said the workers faced restrictions associated with both sectors: their private-sector pay status excluded them from Benchmarking awards, while public-sector pension arrangements brought a levy. The company said it operated commercially and that pay decisions required approval. The dispute also concerned jointly negotiated terms agreed in December 2008 and a claimed 3.5% increase under the Towards 2016 agreement. The Court recommended that the proposals be implemented. The recommendation followed an unresolved local dispute and conciliation process.